VisionTek 4850 1GB B2 Review

Introduction:

The majority of the market for video cards revolves around the midrange selection as not everyone can afford the cream of the crop. The high-end cards from the major competitors, Nvidia and ATI, are the GTX285, GTX295, 4870x2, 4890, and so on. They all battle for the best frames possible in graphic intense applications, while the midrange cards just aim to get the job done. The video card reviewed today is the VisionTek 4850 with 1GB of GDDR3 running at 950MHz. The RV770 core is clocked in at 625MHz with 800 pixel shaders. This card is very similar to the 4870, by sharing the same core minus the speed, and having lower memory bandwidth from the GDDR3 rather than GDDR5. Performance wise, the 4850 and 4870 are in different classes; the 4850 will likely compete with the GTS250/9800GTX cards. Floating around on the net were false rumors that VisionTek had planned on filing for bankruptcy - VisionTek has not filed for bankruptcy and intends to stick around.

Closer Look:

The package for the VisionTek video card was sealed in a bag to keep the contents clean and protect the box. The front has a large sticker placed on it, giving key information about the video card, such as PCIe bus, 1GB memory and that it is the 4850 model. The model number is at the bottom of the sticker, but the VisionTek website currently doesn't list the card. The box art is simple with a flame in the bottom corner of the front, a large B2 logo and ATI RADEON logos posted all over the place. The box is very small.

The back of the box is clean, with more ATI Radeon logos and a small VisionTek logo in the corner. The sides are the same as the rest of the box, with a B2 logo to the right of the VisionTek logo.

The ends of the box have a small V logo, for the VisionTek brand, and another for the ATI Radeon status of this card. People should have a real easy time figuring out that there's an ATI card inside this box. Opening the flap reveals a cardboard box tightly fit inside.

After pulling it out, opening the cardboard box reveals a red bubble wrap bag protecting the video card, which sits above the included peripherals.

Underneath the video card you will find a driver disk, manual, DVI to HDMI adapter, VGA adapter, and Molex to 6-pin PCI Express power adapter. These are the bare necessities that should get most users up and running quickly.